Activists Call Against FTA

The exhibition hall of the XVII International AIDS Conference looked normal. People were walking around, asking questions, discussing, taking pictures. Everything was just as busy as any other day. But that normality was not going to stay for very long time, because some activists were gathering outside the hall. Each and everyone of them were holding a sign board. I could sense something was going to happen.

Just as they were convinced that everyone was in the line, they started marching inside the exhibition hall, holding up all the signs and approaching the booths of pharmaceutical companies shouting „Pharmacy kills! Pharmacy kills!“. Apparently they demanded the developed countries to drop the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is known as the cause of overblown price of medicines. The action was also based on the recent even in India. The government of India is currently negotiating FTA with European Union (EU). And to make matters worse, the EU is pressuring India to accede to TRIPS-plus provisions. And for this, they stopped in front of EU government's booth and shout, "Shame! Shame! Shame!"

The activists believe that this TRIPS-plus provisions are beyond India´s present international obligations under TRIPS Agreement. TRIPS-plus will make medicines unaffordable and adversely affect the right to health as well as accessibility to medications. Another concern from activists around the world is also because India is the largest supplier of the low-cost, high quality generic medicines to other developing countries in the world. Over 90% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in low and middle income countries rely on the generic antiretrovirals produced by India. FTA will have a great negative impact because it will halt the domestic production of low cost and high quality generic medicines resulting the exorbitant rise in prices. Therefore, it will be the end of the affordable medicines´history. The Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit India carry out a worldwide advocacy to sensitise the government of India and try to influence the decision making process, hoping the negotiation will not result on TRIPS-plus. They demand for no TRIPS-plus provisions in FTA and no restrictions on TRIPS. Apart from that, they also demand public consultation and transparency in the negotiation process.